THE LEAD
A 55-point second half propelled DBU to an 83-70 win over Oklahoma Christian at the Eagles Nest in Oklahoma City on Thursday night.  Trailing Oklahoma Christian (6-10, 1-7) by one point at the half, the Patriots (10-6, 5-2) shot a blistering 73 percent from three-point range (11-for-15), led by Amari Bryant, who scored 17 of his game-high 27 points over the final 20 minutes.  Julian Miranda and Myles Johnson also joined Bryant in double-figures, as Miranda registered a season-high 15 points, while Johnson added 14.
 
After falling behind by as many as seven points with 14:21 remaining in the second half, DBU went on a 9-2 run, capped off by a Connor Lidiak three-pointer to draw the Patriots even with the Eagles at 45.  A layup from Bryant with 11:26 left in the game gave DBU the lead, which they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

Myles Johnson extended the Patriots' lead to double-digits when he drained a three-pointer, putting DBU up 58-48 with 9:24 remaining.  With the game well in hand just inside the five-minute mark, a dunk from Alan Wilkinson extended the lead to 18, as the Patriots eventually closed out the Eagles for their fourth straight win.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- DBU's four-game win streak is the longest current streak among the 10 teams in the Heartland Conference.
- The Patriots move into second place in the Heartland Conference standings and are now a half-game behind Texas A&M International for the top spot in the league.
- The all-time series between DBU and Oklahoma Christian is now tied 5-5.
 
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE DEFENSIVE EFFOR THAT HELPED LEAD TO A WIN
"I'm really proud of our team effort tonight.  The defensive effort was really good throughout the game, especially from Jules, Carter, Xavier, Alan, and Grey."
 
DBU HEAD COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE TEAM'S OFFENSIVE NIGHT
"The offensive explosion in the second half was really fun to see.  Amari was amazing and the guys around him made some really nice plays as well."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
5 – Both Amari Bryant and Julian Miranda each connected on five three-pointers.
22 – DBU's bench outscored Oklahoma Christian's by 22 points, 34-12.
2 – The Patriots totaled two more rebounds than the Eagles, 28-26.
 
UP NEXT
DBU travels to Austin, Texas, on Saturday to face St. Edward's.  Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.